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Top Four Facts about Sunscreen

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 17, 2009 - You already know that too much sun can be deadly – but how much do you really know about sunscreen? Catherine Lenz, PA with Sutter Medical Group shares the top five facts (and more) about sunscreen that you may not know.

Facts

1. The SPF (sunscreen protection factor) number explains two things

How long you can stay in the sun before burningThe formula is unique to each individual. [X] Minutes (number of minutes you can typically can stay in the sun for 10 minutes before turning pink) x [Y] (SPF rating) = how long you can stay in the sun.

For example, if you can typically stay in the sun 10 minutes then a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will allow you to stay in the sun for approximately 2 ½ hours. 10 (minutes) x 15 (SPF) = 150 minutes, or 2 ½ hours.